Avoidance is a Virtue
by Vampsi
Summary: JT thought his biggest problem today would be avoiding pushy advances from a pretty girl. Instead, Vincent finds out something he shouldn't. JT really doesn't want to deal with this today...or ever.


Disclaimer: I do not own Beauty and the Beast or any of its characters. This is just for entertainment purposes.

A/N: I realize this is a bit rambling and I apologize. I'm not used to writing for this fandom, yet. :(

"Uh...yeah no. I...I just came to get a cup of coffee. Headin...right back to the old office..." JT said, nervously. He hoped it didn't show, but somehow he was pretty sure that the short, breathless laugh and the unnecessary way he brandished his to-go cup of coffee from Starbucks as though it were a shield had probably betrayed the fact.

The woman he was speaking to (being accosted by) laughed softly, still smiling once she'd finished. It was a nice smile, actually. Sweet and genuine. "Well, what about Friday, then? I hear Club Velvet has some interesting things going on Friday nights." she said, biting her lip a bit and giving him an up-and-down look.

JT rarely ever found himself on the receiving end of such a look. From anyone. Like, ever.

"Oh...you know how Friday nights are. Everything's so...busy and crowded..." he had no idea how he was going to get out of this. He usually didn't have this much trouble! Women usually weren't this persistent with him. There were hotter guys to hit on, instead of an overweight nerd who worked at a university in a field of study most people who asked him out weren't interested in anyway, with thinning hair and bad fashion sense. Not exactly a catch.

This time she smirked, leaning back just a little bit, her dark hair slipping a bit further away from her face. "Well. What about Sunday brunch, then?"

Just then his phone rang and he gave a grateful sigh of relief as he fished it out of his pocket, held it up similarly as to how he'd held up the coffee cup a moment ago.

"I should take this." he said, walking a few steps away and turning his back on her to answer the phone. "Vincent? What's the matter?" he asked, figuring that if his best friend, who he was sure would be the one getting hit on instead if he could just walk around in broad daylight wherever he wanted to safe and sound, was calling him then something must be amiss.

"I can't find those papers you told me about. I thought you said you left them on the desk?" Vincent said on the other end, sounding confused. JT could also hear the sound of papers being pushed around.

"What do you mean? They're right on top." he said, sighing. His friend was awesome, hot, and smart – a combination not always easily found...brains and brawn in the same package – but he definitely had his moments of being unable to see what was right in front of his face.

Actually...for someone so smart, that seemed to happen a damn lot about a lot of things.

"Well, they're not." Vincent answered, and suddenly there was typing to be heard at the other end. Which pretty much signified that Vincent was breaking into JT's computer.

Okay, so it wasn't really breaking into the computer since Vincent had the password. But, that was for emergencies and this was hardly an emergency! Important, yes. Dire? No.

"Who're you talking to?" the woman, whom JT thought at this point was extremely rude because he didn't even know her name yet at this point, asked as she sidled up to him. Seriously, there were all kinds of hot guys in the general vicinity, what did she want with him? Not that he wasn't into women at all it was just...well odd. And that made it a little suspicious to him.

"N-no one, just-" JT began, but unfortunately Vincent had heard the woman's voice.

"Hey...are you with a girl?" his friend asked, his tone changing to a playful one.

"No, everything's fine, honey." JT said, trying not to blush.

"Honey?" Vincent had definitely not expected to hear that, based on his tone. Served him right.

"Oh..." the woman backed off a little, giving a knowing smile. "I didn't know you were into men. I guess that explains it, then. Sorry!" she said, her smile and demeanor no longer sultry and instead just sweet and friendly.

"How did you know...?" JT had been intending to play it off as though his girlfriend was calling or something. Why did she jump to-

"I don't really run into too many women named Vincent." she replied without needing him to clarify.

JT blushed further. Oh, so she'd heard him use Vince's name. Whoops. He'd just been so flustered at the time the phone rang, glad for an out, and then focused on the problem going on at home that he hadn't thought of it.

"Seriously, JT? You're so desperate not to get involved with anyone that you're pretending to be gay now?" Vincent didn't sound very approving.

"It was an accident." JT insisted, watching the woman walk away.

"It was an accident that you used me as a fake gay lover to get away from an interested girl?" okay, well, when Vincent put it that way it didn't sound very believable. But it was totally the truth!

"It's not like that, you weren't here..." JT tried to explain.

"Come on, JT..." apparently he wasn't buying it.

"Just...did you find those papers yet, or not?"

"No. And I can't find them on your computer, either."

"That's because they're not there. Get off of my computer and—"

"Whoa..." Vincent said, his tone one of obvious shock.

"Vince?" JT asked, worried. What had happened? Was there danger, had someone figured out where Vincent was hiding out?

"JT...what is this stuff?"

"What stuff? Is something wrong? Did something happen? Is somebody there?" JT's mind was going through several horrible scenarios at once as he left the coffee shop quickly.

"These drawings..."

Oh shit...JT had forgotten he'd still had those on the computer. He usually kept that stuff on an encrypted jump drive. He knew what Vincent had found, because there was only one type of drawing that he had that would ever elicit something like that from his friend.

"Listen...Vincent...I can explain..." he said, his voice tight as he stopped in his tracks and shut his eyes tightly. He had never intended for Vince to find those. He wasn't very good at drawing, except on a computer.

"These are of me..."

"Y-yeah, they are...but..."

"Naked."

"Yes, but, I can totally explain."

"Really? Because I can't think of any good explanations for this other than-"

"No! No, it's not that. It's...you know...anatomy...I have to keep tabs on your anatomy, all of it, to make sure I notice if anything, uh...changes..."

"JT, these are pornographic! There's no reason for me to be laying back on a chaise lounge like that for an anatomy sketch!"

"I thought...well...it would be less weird if they were...artistic?" he tried.

"Is that why I'm handcuffed and have my legs bent and spread? Is that lube? Did you draw lube? Oh my God, JT..."

"Oh...you, um...you found that one..."

"We need to have a talk when you get home..."

"Actually, I think I'm working late tonight..." JT said, turning and heading back in the direction of the university. He was definitely working late tonight. Now.

"JT!" Vincent yelled just as JT pressed the End Call button, turned the phone off, and put it in his pocket.

End


End file.
